Magnificent Memories in the Land of Mañana and................... a Piece of the Panhandle

Early last year I knew I would be returning to New Mexico, The land of Enchantment sometime this summer. At the time I thought I would combine it with a tour through Oklahoma. I even thought of the perfect title for what would be my future trip report..."Sooner or Mañana" Well, this trip did not go forward as I initially planned, at least not the way I thought it would....This would be more than "just another trip"....and if you're wondering why, I guess you'll have to read on...Unfortunately due to financial and time constraints that were somewhat unexpected, I couldn't make it to Oklahoma....but, in it's place, West Texas will have to suffice...

Once again, these photos are raw- I simply do not have the time to photo shop- this will also be the last trip report of the year for me (other than the year end best of report)It's a week long and it will probably take me forever to finish it anyway.- I have a couple of other short trips planned, but they will be with my girlfriend...

Tuesday July 2

Southwest has a wonderful way with their connections. I would be changing planes in Chicago Midway, thinking I would have at least a half hour before I board, arriving 15 minutes late, made a mad dash to the opposite side of the terminal for a char dog at Gold Coast which I gulped down as a lined up at the gate waiting to board the plane..

Arriving in Albuquerque a few minutes early, I grabbed my rental and made it to

Route 66 Diner

At around 10:20 PM- Luckily they're open till 11...Located on it's namesake, Historic Route 66. As I arrive, I'm greeted by Buffetbuster ! What was he doing here? I was hoping Mariton would be there too, but she was back at the Hotel getting some much needed shut eye after their big trip (something that I'll be looking forward to very shortly too)

As I entered the diner I had the the pleasure of being greeted by

Betty Boop- Unfortunately she wasn't our waitress....We had to settle for "some guy"

The Route 66 Diner, offers the classic 50's style diner setting....And it's been around awhile too... The last time I visited was with my mother back in 1990 when she lived in Albuquerque..

Well I came here for a reason and I'm going to do exactly as the clock told me to do

I got the same item that I ordered 23 years ago

The Pile Up This delicious mess include home fried potatoes, eggs any style (In my case- over medium) bacon, cheese, chopped green chilies and red or green chili - I chose green just as I did over two decades ago - well I was able to finish half of it (I know at that point in time someone in Chicagoland probably had just fallen out of bed!) Buffetbuster had a slice of Apple Pie which he didn't think was anything special...

After my late night meal, we parted ways (at least for now) I had a big 4 hour road trip the next morning. Thankfully my hotel was only 1/2 a mile a way...

Re:Magnificent Memories in the Land of Mañana and................... a Piece of the Panhan2013/07/12 09:51:39
(permalink)

In WJ's defense, that pile of food was massive. He did well to finish half of it. As for the apple pie, it was deflating for me to find nuts in it. There were several other interesting pie options and I order the one with nuts in it. So, I just pushed it aside.

Mariton and I landed around 6:00pm, making a beeline for Papa Felipe's, followed by paletas at Paleteria Michoacana de Paquime. My choice was an excellent grape, but hers with a combination of kiwi, cantaloupe, pineapple, mango, cherry and probably some other fruits was truly outstanding. By the time I met Dale, there was room for nothing else but a slice of pie. With all the glowing neon, the Route 66 Diner is beautiful to look at. But frankly, the food just isn't very good.

Re:Magnificent Memories in the Land of Mañana and................... a Piece of the Panhan2013/07/12 12:50:44
(permalink)

FCF-Thanks for the kind words, but this will definitely be the WJ show. I will chip in here and there with some of the meals we shared. We did get a preview while in NM and Dale has some great stuff coming up!

Re:Magnificent Memories in the Land of Mañana and................... a Piece of the Panhan2013/07/12 14:41:19
(permalink)

Gentlemen, may I offer a third opinion? After being TTM'ed at the Little Red Hamburger Hut, my friend Matt & I hit the Route 66 Diner for GCCs. We sat at the counter and sipped Barq's red cream soda (kissing cousin to Big Red) then feasted on these:

Cooked to order, the 66 Burger added bacon, and it was very tasty -- not the best, certainly (!), but very tasty. I liked the Owl Cafe's version better because the chiles were spicier. Can't wait to read the rest of this, Dale! And now back to your regularly scheduled forum thread... Chris

Re:Magnificent Memories in the Land of Mañana and................... a Piece of the Panhan2013/07/13 08:55:47
(permalink)

Mar,

You'll be happy to know, I only went to one baseball game during the entire trip (I potentially could have gone to 3)

Chi Town Diner

I just want to know if you fell out of bed just before midnight, Chicago time on July 2?

FCF

Buffetbuster and everyone else who was a part of this trip are more than welcome to add their photos, and commentary. We all got together and shared some meals but we all went about doing our own thing as well.

ayersian- were you in New Mexico too? (all of you will have to wait for later on in the trip report to find out what that's all about!

Re:Magnificent Memories in the Land of Mañana and................... a Piece of the Panhan2013/07/14 20:44:44
(permalink)

Wednesday July 3

Prior to leaving Albuquerque I had a decent cuppa coffee at R.B Winnings Coffee, near UNM. A very "locals" type of joint that seemed to fit in right with the neighborhood. My only gripe is they only have 12 and 16 oz "to go" cups and a 10 oz mug for "in house" with 2 free refills.

After four hours of driving (and losing an hour since I'm now back in central time zone) I arrived in Amarillo TX and at

Tyler's BBQ

at the height of lunch hour. Service is cafeteria style,however this bbq joint is the real deal- most recently listed as one of the top 50 bbq joints in Texas. There was a decent line when I arrived and I was concerned about seating. I was thankful I arrived when I did because there the sign when you walked in noted they would be closed July 4 (which I already knew) and July 5 and the entire weekend for that matter in celebration of 4th of July weekend. It seems that Texans really take the 4th of July celebrations seriously. Here in Rhode Island, some places close and some don't and if they do close its just on the 4th.

The interior was nicely done in "Texas BBQ" motif

I ordered the Brisket and Hot Links plate along with slaw and pinto beans... I asked for a a rib or two but was told they were out - but they would have more available in an hour or so..

There is a pepper bar where you also load up on onions, pickles, sliced jalapeno and whole pickled jalapeno.. The meal at Tyler's bbq was very reminiscent of the meal I enjoyed at Southside Market in Elgin last year... The brisket was tender and smokey and the sausage had a nice snap and crunch as well as a decent kick...The pinto beans (these were not bbq beans) were classic with bits of smokey meat

and the slaw was the least memorable part of the meal.. but that is inconsequential..

Tyler himself came by my table and asked how my meal was. I told him it was great but was disappointed that I didn't get try any of his ribs. He suggested I check into my hotel first, then come back and they should be ready...

I didn't realize my hotel was less than a mile away... I did return shortly after checking in and those ribs were available fresh out of the smoker...

Like the rest of the meal earlier, these ribs had a subtle smokey and porcine quality, tender but not fall of the bone tender...Tyler's was truly a hit- the first highlight of the trip..

Heading back to the hotel...I realized that due to the July 4th holiday, I may need to re-think my intinerary for Amarillo... My initial plan was to go to Outlaw's Supper Club for dinner. It's my understanding they serve the the best steak in Amarillo....I knew I was going to be disappointed when someone answered the phone with just a "hello" and I was told that they are closed that day (but its only July 3?) and wouldn't reopen till Friday..looks like I'll have some shuffling to do..

I had the rest of the afternoon for myself, I decided to walk historic Route 66...

About a mile of really cool restaurants and antique shops.. there was even a Fillipino Cafe! Luckily most of the antique shops were still open and stayed open till 5 or 6, so I had a fun time browsing around...

I also just happen to find this place that really caught my attention...

Cowboy Gelato A very funky, "hipsterish" kinda place that I can easily picture in Austin....but Amarillo???

Since it was a nice, warm day, I was in the mood for gelato...There were several flavor options available. I had it down to to..I tried a sample of the Mexican Vanilla, it was had a rich eggy/creamy flavor, then I tried the Strawberry Habanero...no contest...that won!

The flavor will fool you- it starts out as a fruity/tangy strawberry and then the habanero sting kicks in in the back of the throat. A gelato that truly gets the endorphins going...Not sure if anyone has heard of this place but if you're evern in Amarillo....Cowboy Gelato is highly recommended.

I continued to explore route 66 walking from shop to shop...I even found a classic Texas Honky Tonk called the broken spoke. I walked in hoping to get a Shiner.....to my dismay they did not have Shiner on tap, just the usual Bud, Coors...etc...

One thing I didnt' realize when was that my dinner stop would be right here in the neighborhood...

The Golden Light Cafe

As I indicated previously, Outlaws Supper Club was my initial intended dinner stop. My original plans were to stop at the Golden Light Cafe on the 4th. When I called the prior week I was told they would be open, well guess what when I called again today back at the hotel, I was told they would be closed on the 4th- well as a result...here I am...

When I arrived I did notice they had shiner on tap, but I wasn't in the mood for a beer right now. Famous for their burgers....that's not what I came here for.... I came for Flagstaff Pie- their term for the more familiar Frito Pie...

Not only was this a generous sized portion, but I wouldn't hesitate to say that this was probably the best frito pie I've ever had...

After dinner, I was tired from my long flight the day before, my not getting a full night's sleep and the long drive to Amarillo...After talking to my girlfriend over the phone, I called it a night... I would have another big and busy day tomorrow...

Re:Magnificent Memories in the Land of Mañana and................... a Piece of the Panhan2013/07/15 21:26:28
(permalink)

Chi Town Diner

The Frito Pie at the Golden Light qualified as the perfect frito pie based on the following criteria... 1- A good quality home made chile 2- When the meal came to the table the shredded cheese had already melted nicely 3- The proper ratio of fritos- chili- cheese- onion...

Texas BBQ is almost always brisket and hot links (I know TTM always reaches for the ribs first) but that's really a secondary option (however if you're lucky enough to find beef ribs then thats an entirely different story!)- I did get the ribs at Tyler's to see if they stood up to the rest of the meal and they most certainly did.